King pushes ban on domestic terror trials

Rep. Peter King has a new plan for blocking the Obama administration’s plans to prosecute the accused mastermind of the 2001 attacks in a federal court in New York.

Late Wednesday night, King, R-N.Y., formally introduced legislation that would bar the Justice Department from spending any federal dollars to hold civilian court trials of anyone who has been detained at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y. (Associated Press photo)

Although King’s proposal would apply broadly to any detainee, it is aimed chiefly at blocking a civilian trial of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. Attorney General Eric Holder Jr., last November announced the plans to try Mohammed and four alleged co-conspirators — a move that was sharply criticized by congressional Republicans who have pushed for military tribunals.

King, the top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, has been one of the most vocal opponents in Congress. He called the decision “one of the worst decisions ever made by any president,” and said trials in New York would pose an “enormous, unnecessary terror risk to the people who already live and work downtown.”

“Guantanamo terrorists like KSM don’t belong in any federal civilian courts; they belong in military commissions, which Congress established for the express purpose of bringing them to trial while safeguarding classified intelligence,” King said. “And these terrorists certainly don’t belong in American communities such as lower Manhattan, mere blocks from Ground Zero, City Hall, NYPD headquarters and the Brooklyn Bridge.”

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Wednesday came out against the administration’s plan, saying it would cost Manhattan $1 billion for extra security during a trial of Mohammed. Other estimates have put the city’s final price tag at around $75 million.

King’s proposal could be advanced as part of congressional debate later this year on the federal government’s budget and specifically, the spending for the Justice Department. A vote on the issue could put some Democrats who have supported the civilian trials — but are uneasy about doing them in the heart of New York City — in a tough place.

His measure comes as momentum appears to be building against the administration’s terror trial plan.